March 26, 2018

School of Education colleagues:

It is with great sincerity and excitement I submit this letter of promise on behalf of Brandon
Ishikata for consideration of graduation from the Masters in Higher Education program. As a
graduate of the program and former supervisor to Brandon in his graduate assistantship in
Residence Life, I confidentially believe he will become an impactful practitioner in the field of
Student Affairs. Below I have highlighted ways I have seen him successfully incorporate the
program’s learning outcomes into his work and how this would transfer effectively into his future
professional role.

During my time working with Brandon, I have seen him demonstrate how important
reflection is to his understanding of who he is as a leader. The opportunity to work as an Assistant
Resident Director in the Department of Residence Life on Loyola’s campus has provided him much
space to critically consider who he is as a person and professional. As his supervisor, I can attest
to the ways he has brought his scholarly learning from the classroom into his work. Brandon has
been able to reflect holistically on his experience in a weekly format that then guided the
supervisory conversations we had. He has not shied away from being critical of his own
leadership abilities and has identified ways to refine his approach in him work with students. In
the supervision of student staff, he has empowered them to lead by example, and to reflect on
values-based decisions while also having difficult conversations that challenge them to do more
and become more. Reflection has also played an important role in his work as he identifies the
places where he is able to find joy in this calling. This has often come in spaces where he is able
to educate herself and others on concepts of leadership, particularly through dance. During his
internship at Columbia College Chicago, Brandon worked to further provide spaces for
undergraduate students to also critically reflect on how they as leaders are developed, show up
in a space and to guide them towards a common purpose.

In these conversations and through other areas of work, Brandon has shown the
commitment to social justice expected of a graduate of the higher education program. His
commitment to social justice aligns with both his personal and professional narrative as he has
been able to analyze the ways identity and inclusion have contributed to him own experiences
and the experiences of the students with whom he works. Brandon has worked with students from
diverse perspectives, cultures, lifestyles, and ways of knowing to guide them on the discovery of
who they are and how society shapes their experience as evidenced in him supervision on
undergraduate RAs, working to put on large scale events focused on different faith traditions, and
assessing and documenting university wide Asian American and Native Hawaiian student services.
In these examples, and more, Brandon has shown a commitment to serving others to increase
awareness and justice on campus in an analytical way.

It is this analytical approach learned in the graduate program that has also allowed
Brandon to demonstrate competency in the various structures, policies and skills one needs to
master as a professional. Brandon has used the knowledge gained in the Student Affairs
Professional course as the grounding framework for him own understanding of the role of Student
Affairs on a college campus. By using the validation this course provides in regards to the holistic
nature of the work we do, Brandon has been able to positively influence the education of his
peers in the classroom, the experiences of the students with whom he has interacted and impact
the field through his participation in national conferences. Student Development Theory gave him
a personal reference point to understand the ways in which he has developed but also to
interpret interactions with students in a way for him to both support and challenge them in their
own growth. Given the current charged environment, these courses have better allowed Brandon
to support students whose stories and experiences have been influenced by forces outside of their
control. His mastery in these areas have contributed to using his knowledge to address the
personal and administrative shortcomings inherent in any organization in a theory grounded
approach.

In looking to how Brandon has addressed some of these challenges, his work is grounded
in assessing how we do our work, the value added by the experiences we provide, and ways we
can remain student-centered in our approaches. I have seen Brandon use these methodological
and assessment skills to make change within his current work as he consider ways to improve his
own performance. Brandon has implemented assessment analyzing internships through asocial
justice lens as well as concepts of leadership and followership. He has contributed his voice and
perspective to various processes in an effort to better the student experience.

The last outcome of the higher education program, communication skills, is another area
Brandon has shown proficiency in in through his current work. The ability to effectively
communicate a decision, message, or purpose is critical in working with students to maintain an
equitable experience for everyone. In his work, Brandon has been responsible for crafting
written communication to students on a variety of topics from conduct rationales, outreach
following a student concern and response to general inquiries. His ability to communicate in a
caring, concise and informative matter has ensured that the students within our hall obtain a
consistent experience. Brandon has also shown mastery of oral communication by leading RA
training sessions, challenging peers in the classroom setting, and facilitating staff meeting
conversations.

Having seen Brandon’s work in all of these areas over the past two years, I am confident
in his ability to remain an impactful and intentional student affairs educator. The skills and
experiences he has gained in both the higher education program and his assistantship have all
contributed to his work and formation as a professional in the field. I am excited by the great
potential for him to continue combining his passions for student learning, student leadership and
the student experience as he moves forward to his next position.

I know Brandon will succeed in his next steps post-graduation and am grateful to have the
pleasure of working with him during my time at Loyola. Please do not hesitate to further contact
me if you have any additional comments regarding Brandon Ishikata’s status as an applicant for
graduation from the Loyola University Chicago Higher Education program.

Sincerely,

Tim Griffin
Resident Director, Loyola University Chicago
Tgriffin3@luc.edu
773-508-3740